


ASP-Eloquence

by Dejihuam



Category: A Separate Peace - John Knowles
Genre: 1000-2000 words per chapter, AU where Finny doesn’t fall, Angst, Complete, Dorks in Love, Finny is precious and just wants to help, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Gene has horrible Genophobia, Gene worries about everything, M/M, Minor Angst, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Teen Romance, The angst is mINOR, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-09-01 19:45:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16771660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dejihuam/pseuds/Dejihuam
Summary: It’s the Summer of 1942 and Finny finds himself falling head over heels for his roommate. Soon, Gene finds himself in the same position. But unlike Finny, Gene worries about everything.With family pressure, the homophobic atmosphere, and a War going on, neither of them are prepared for love.(Finny’s fall does not happen in this story.)





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I re-posted this all from my tumblr.  
> https://deadjihuam.tumblr.com

Chapter One  
•Gene•

I had just gotten a haircut when I first came to Devon. Before my overgrown bull-cut my hair reached my shoulders and was very wavy. My brother always seemed to be a bit jealous of the fact that I had our mothers hair. He would tell me to never cut it, because mom took pride and joy in her own hair. Thus, she took pride and joy in mine.

However, when I came to Devon I cut my hair for a more “professional” look. Other kids would always make fun of me and grab my hair at school. I didn’t care though (until now of course). I actually cut my hair in a haste. I did it completely on my own before going to my usual hair dresser the next day.

She was completely heart-broken over me cutting my hair, but agreed to help me anyway. I’ll admit it was weird at first. To have short hair. My hair was actually messier then before. Apparently it was because I had no length to weigh down my waves and curls. So I started brushing it every morning and would try to calm down my bed-head before anyone else saw it.

“You’re hair’s getting longer”, Finny casually pointed out one day. I felt heat rise in my chest. I also had a sudden rush of warmth over my face, causing me to sweat a bit. I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror, a confused expression was looking back at me.

“No it’s not”, I answered simply, my hand placed on my head. Finny didn’t even bother to look up from his dresser before giving words of assurance that it was definitely getting longer. I looked back in the mirror and shook my head.

After a bit of silence I felt a presence from over my shoulder. I jumped when I saw Finny’s eyes locked onto the backside of my head from a few inches away.

“What are you-“

“It’s longer”, he paused, “yes, of course it is, naturally. How long has it been since you’ve had a hair cut, Gene?”

I had just arrived about a month ago, and was about to answer before Finny cut me off with his voice. “Well, when you first got here, you’re hair was calm and looked freshly done. Now it’s more messy and has grown past the nape of you’re neck.” Once he finished he placed his fingers on a certain spot on my neck that made me jump and feel a bit lightheaded. Did he suddenly know about pressure points?

I squirmed out of his grasp and let out a few heavy breaths before I turned back to the mirror. I examined my appearance again. He was right. My hair did get a bit longer. I felt the back of my neck a bit before going to the bathroom. Finny followed curiously and stopped at the door as I looked through the bottom cabinet. He looked even more confused when I pulled out a Viking Electric Hair Groomer (it’s the most fancy thing I own).

“What are you gonna do with that thing?” He asked. I shook my head in response, “I’m going to shave a bit of my hair at the neck.”

Finny looked at me a couple seconds but did not protest. It wasn’t until I actually plugged in the “Electric Hair Groomer” that Finny stopped me. I was bent over and about to stand back up when I felt a body being draped over my back. My body froze in place as Finny wrapped his arms around my upper torso and laid his head in the crook of my neck.

“Don’t”, was all Finny said for a couple of seconds before adding on, “I like you’re hair like this.”

I felt panic swell in my chest. By the end of his statement his voice was drowned out and I felt dizzy. I couldn’t think. Not with him pushing up against me like this. I could feel his hot breath in my neck in ear and it sent shivers down my spine. Him having his arms wrapped around me made me feel vulnerable, even though he only has them around my torso and not my arms. My legs felt like jello and my only support was my hand on the wall. Everything was overwhelming, but all of the other discomforts were topped my the position of his crotch up against me. It made my eyes water and I knew I was breathing hard and fast.

Why? Why am I feeling this? Phineas is a kind person that would never hurt anything on purpose. Especially if that “thing” is me. I felt so trapped though. My thoughts went wild with doubt, telling me to pull away and yell at him, to get away from him. However no matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t. I was in some state of shock when there was no shock to be in. The reckless and trusting part of my mind told me that Phineas would never hurt me. Then what is he doing right now? 

“-ne? GENE!” I snapped out of my daze by a frantic pressure on my shoulders, shaking me... awake? Did I pass out? I felt so confused and scared that it took me a while to actually notice I was on the floor. I could feel my back against the tile and I could see a blurry outline of Phineas over me. He let out a heavy sigh of relief and pulled me in a hug. 

“Good God, Gene! I can’t believe you passed out like that!” My vision cleared and I could see him fine. “Did you hurt you’re self? You feel fine, right?”

I looked back at him for a bit. “Sorry Phineas, I have a small headache.” Okay, that wasn’t a big lie. I did have a headache... but it wasn’t small. Thoughts flew in my head and blurred together as they pounded on my skull. The loud thumping of my heart in my ears only made it worse and I felt like my skull was being forcefully expanded and stretched out.

Finny frowned. “What did you call me? You only call me ‘Phineas’ when you’re uncomfortable or angry”

I closed my eyes for a second and scooted back against the wall, trying to rest a bit. Real smooth Gene. “I... I just...”, how do I tell him a thought he was going to sexually assault me? Was I even thinking that? I don’t even know, so that’s what I told him.

Finny shook his head but didn’t question it. He helped me up and originally lead me to my bed, but I ended up sitting on my side of the desk trying to study. And failing.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finny takes a minute to admire Gene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reposted this from my Tumblr  
> https://deadjihuam.tumblr.com

Chapter Two  
•Finny•

Gene’s never been one for public affection. Every time I throw my arm around his shoulder, he always squirms out of my grasp. He looks uncomfortable from every hug, especially if I end up wrapping around his arms. Even things like a hand on his shoulder or a brush against him will earn you shiver.

Which is why I feel so dumb. Why did I lean over him like that? If I stopped to think, I knew he wouldn’t like or even be okay with it. I didn’t stop to think though. I just acted, like I always do. I guess I should be a bit more considerate and not act on impulse when I’m around Gene.

My mind swarmed with these thoughts, my eyes locked on his face. Watching those beautiful doe eyes concentrate intensely on the paper below them. Occasionally, I would see them loosen up and unfocus only to snap back into study-mode. He looked so cute when he concentrated.

I shook my head.  
No. You’re not allowed to think like that.

For some reason I haven’t been able to pinpoint (or I just haven’t wanted to) Gene’s been seeming exceptionally more attractive lately. I’ve been noticing these little things that make him seem more perfect.

For example, Gene previously mentioned eyes were absolutely gorgeous. When I had met him, they were the first thing I noticed (to be honest it was kinda hard not to). I remember extending out my hand for a friendly handshake, only to be faltered by his eyes. How could I look away from them? They were soft and round, the shape of them tipped up ever so slightly. His eyelashes weren’t long but long enough to be noticeable. Well, noticeable to me. He had a natural soft purple under his eyes that seemed to get darker near exams, finals, and any other important grade. Which was predictable for Gene considering he always gets less sleep studying and stressing. That purple could never compete with the luminous blue of his iris. It was bright enough it put the sun to shame, and had the color of the clear blue ocean in the Bahamas. They shone even brighter in he sunlight, and gave off the reflection of the world around them. I could swim in that ocean of his eyes, and I could rant about it forever. It’s not my fault though, their too damn stunning.

The emotion behind them thought is something I don’t like to mention. Sad. There is no other way I can describe it. The sad beauty his eyes harbor is too much. The look of pure negative emotion is overbearing, and that is only time I would ever look away from Gene’s eyes.

He looked sad now. His eyes were unfocused and distant, no longer set on his work. He stayed quiet and after a while he look a deep breath before shaking his head. I felt my heart sink into the ocean that was once his beautiful eyes. He closed them, trying to hold back tears.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gene clams down, and him and Finny attempt to study.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reposted this from my Tumblr  
> https://deadjihuam.tumblr.com

Chapter Three  
•Gene•

So far in Finny and I’s friendship, I have yet to cry. I don’t want to, not one bit. A close friend of mine back to home, Angelica, was the only person I was actually comfortable with crying in front of. She never judged me and never told anyone. Angelica tried her best at making me feel better. We would bake together to distract me from whatever was bothering me. I’m actually a pretty good baker, and after a bit of coaching my food had stated to turn out better then hers. It was a good outlet form stress. Her and baking.

Now, I had neither of those.

It took Angelica years to get me out of my shell, and no matter how incredible he was, Finny was going to take a while too. To be honest he would probably take longer. He would have to learn to control his impulsive behavior and give me some space for starters. I didn’t want to make him change though. I wasn’t worth the trouble for Angelica and I am not worth it for Finny, either.

I didn’t want him worrying about me. Yet here I was sobbing in front of him.

“Gene?” I heard shuffling from Finny’s side of the room, before quickly approaching footsteps reached my ears.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Finny gently placed his hands on my shoulders. I let out a breathy sigh. “I... I’m sorry-“

“Don’t do that” I paused, looking up at Finny. His breath caught in his throat for a few seconds. I must have looked confused because he let out a shaky breath and shook his head.

“I’m sorry” he stopped for a second, before continuing, “about earlier.” He took his bottom lip between his teeth, he seemed... nervous? No, that can’t be right, he’s Finny. He never thinks before he speaks.

This time, he did. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

I was so confused. Why did he care? I was just a person, nothing special. Then again, Finny treated everyone with kindness. I had never seen him apologize to anyone though. Nor had I seen him think about something he did and regret it later. It just wasn’t like him, so he must be lying. Yes, of course he is. It didn’t make sense any other way. I wasn’t worth the stress, so why should he care?

But when I look into his eyes, they look so sincere it’s startling.

“It’s okay” was all I muttered in response, and Finny looked relieved.

“I shouldn’t have done that, I know you don’t like people touching you.” Finny paused for a second before continuing, “Why is that?”

I looked at him a couple seconds. “I don’t know” which isn’t a lie, I really don’t know why in the slightest. I’d been this way my whole life. The only person who I gladly excepted hugs from way my mother. I just don’t like people getting too close. I guess I have some walls up.

Finny frowned but didn’t question it. “Well... okay, but if you ever wanna talk remember that I’m your best friend!” He said this such triumph in his voice I actually laughed and felt he strangest pang in my chest, like someone was tugging on my heart strings. I shook it off as nothing and just looked at Finny for a bit.

We made eye contact and he sat down across from me.  
“You doing homework?” He questioned, “Help me out with it, okay?”

I rolled my eyes, but I smiled at him anyway. “Alright, where do you wanna start?” I said as I got up to move next to him. He got up first though and moved next to me before reaching his hand out across the table to grab his homework. “How about World Geography?”

I looked at his homework. “Types of Economics?” I questioned.  
Finny nodded, “Yup!” He said with a smile, I frowned. “Finny... you should know his stuff, it’s easier then you think.”

Finny’s smile faded. “Oh... well...”  
“It’s fine, I know you don’t pay attention sometimes” more like all the time, “it’s just... I think you could do really well in your subjects if you at least tried.”  
Finny locked eyes with me and I felt my face heat up. He smirked, “Well those teachers are boring! I think you’ll make a much better teacher!”   
My blush worsened, “Lets just get on with it!”

I looked at the paper and read the first question aloud to myself. I had already done this and turned it in early, but I didn’t trust myself to remember everything. “What type of Economy does Sweden have? Explain what this Economy is/does.”

I handed the paper over to Finny who put his pencil at the sheet and looked at me waiting for an answer.

“Well... Sweden has a Socialist Economy. Socialism is kinda the middle ground between Communism and Free Enterprise. The government owns larger companies, while someone can still start and own a small business. The government owns things like roads, train tracks, airlines, hospitals, banks, libraries, and a few others. The government also charges little to none over common expenses in America like housing, college, public transportation, hospital bills, and more.”

Finny was writing fast, trying to keep up with me. After about 30 seconds he finished and I read it over. “You don’t have to copy every word I say. You’ll run out of room.”  
“Sorry.”  
“It’s fine... just... try and summarize.” I said before reading the next question. “Identify the following Economy and explain why you think it is that said Economy.  
A country thats government owns all the large business. One someone’s business starts earning a certain amount of money for a commonly used product, they must sign a contract so the government own that said business (or else it will be shut down). People pay house bills, rent, and education, but the government provides public transportation.”

“It sounds like a Socialist Economy.” He said proudly. I almost didn’t want to tell him the right answer, but he’d find out either way. “Actually... it’s a Mixed Economy.”  
“A what what?” Finny asked.  
“Well... a Mixed Economy is basically a country that can be identified as and associate with several types of economies. For example, the U.S. is a Mixed Economy. The U.S. is mostly a Free Enterprise, but the government does own and/or fund a few large businesses. It is not a Socialist Economy, though, because the government does not pay for the citizen’s expenses.”  
Finny stares at me in amazement for a couple of seconds.  
I swallowed, “the answer is a Mixed Economy because it mixes Socialism and Free Enterprise. The government owns large businesses like a Socialist Economy, but doesn’t pay for common expenses, like a Free Enterprise.”

Finny stayed silent for a second before breaking out with “You’re so smart.”

I stared at him before laughing softly. “Not really, I just do a butt-load of studying.”  
Finny sighed softly and muttered under his breath “You don’t give yourself enough credit”, before facing his work and jotting down a quick summary of what I said.

I pretended to not notice what he said.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finny’s worried about Gene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reposted this from my Tumblr  
> http://deadjihuam.tumblr.com/

Chapter Four  
•Finny•

-One Month Later-

I woke up to the sound of a notebook hitting the floor.

When I opened my eyes, they were immediately drawn to a light illuminating Gene’s side of the room. I spared a glance at the clock as I sat up in bed. 3:31am.  
What’s he doing awake?

Gene sighed and leaned over his bed to pick up his notebook. When he did so he looked over at my bed to make sure I hadn’t woken up. He froze as he saw me sitting up; a deep frown plastered on my face.

Once he registered that I was actually awake he shot up in his bed, looking at me with a guilty expression. “P-Phineas...!” He started, “Sorry I woke you up.”

“It’s fine... what are you doing awake though? It’s, like, 3:30!” He looked away for a second, before looking back at me and saying, “I was studying.”

I sat there in shock. Studying? At this hour? He’s just gonna exhaust himself! I was concerned, to say the least, but when I told him my thoughts he just laughed.

“I’m used to staying up late, so I’ll be fine.” I frowned at that.  
“Why? You need rest, y’know?”  
He didn’t respond.  
“Gene?”  
“Sorry... it’s just...” he hesitated, “nothing, never mind.”

I shook my head. I don’t understand why he does this to himself. He pushes himself to the max, and I can’t help but worry what will happen if he pushes too far.

I lay down and try to fall asleep. After a while of tossing around under the covers I hear Gene rustle around a bit, before the light form his side of the room is quickly gone. He moves around a bit before settling down to rest.

Despite the fact that I know he’ll do it again, just knowing he’s asleep right now help me fall asleep too.

——

My alarm starts going off loudly and I growl in frustration. I hate waking up to my alarm. I turn over to quickly shut it off and when I look over I’m thankful to see Gene still asleep.

His clock is a few minutes behind, and he needs every second of rest he can get. I’m also thankful because it’s the only time I can really look at Gene. I mean, I see him everyday but I can’t really take in his appearance without him frowning and turning away.

I hop off my bed and make my way over to him. The moment I’m in front of him I’m struck with awe.

He’s so cute. So ridiculously adorable when he sleeps. Like he’s not a person that’s gonna serve in a war. Like he’s not the guy that pushes himself too hard. Like he’s not as troubled as he is.

I like his bed head the most. A tangled assortment of dark brown locks of hair, all intertwined with another. It’s incredibly cute. I almost reach out and touch it, but I stop myself. No. He wouldn’t like that.

I take in his face, too. His left cheek is resting against the pillow and it makes his face look rounder, giving no him a innocent look. Both his cheeks are pink and have faint freckles spotted over them. My eyes travel down to his lips. Holy Hell his lips. I would kiss the breath out of them. I would hold my lips to his forever if I could. They weren’t chapped at all, and were a beautiful shade of red. The fluffy blanket was resting underneath his chin and his fingertips form his right hand were sticking out from underneath it. It makes me think about what it would be like to hold his hand. 

I glance over at his clock, only to end up disappointed when I see his alarm is about to go off. I sigh and drag my eyes away from him. I walk over to my side of the room and open the dresser. A couple of seconds later, Gene’s alarm goes off. I look over at him and he quickly hops out of bed to turn it off.

I glance to my clothes and am completely at a lost for what to wear. I look over at Gene. Even though he is a horrible dresser, I might as well ask.  
“Hey Gene, what should I wear?”

He looks over at me and scoffs. “Everything you own is horrible and I think you have no fashion sense.”

I laugh at his comment, he’s probably just in a bad mood because he’s tired.  
“Well than...” I decide to joke around with him to help lighten the mood, “should I just wear nothing then?”

To my surprise, his face goes beat red. He turns away in embarrassment and looks down. “J-Just...” he struggles to actually talk, “put on something, okay? I don’t want a repeat of the time you went walking around the dorm naked!”  
“Aw c’mon! I just got out of the shower!”  
“How did you even forget to put on clothes?”

I paused, “I don’t know.” He sighed in disapproval. “Whatever, just... don’t wear pink.” He turned back to his dresser and I laughed. I had worn a pink shirt a week or two ago to the Headmaster’s tea. Gene had never let me see the end of it since.

After a while of debating with myself, I gathered some clothes and made my way to the bathroom.

——

I burst into Gene and I’s room, ecstatic for our meeting at The Super Secret Suicide Society of the Summer Session.

“C’mon buddy! Leper said he’s gonna jump today!”

I hadn’t bothered to actually look at Gene yet. I had run into the room and immediately went to change into a different pair of pants for the meeting. After being met with silence I looked over to Gene’s bed. I was met with him packing a suitcase with some clothes. His movements were weak and he looked worried. Well, more worried then he usually looks.

I walked towards him. “Hey, Gene?” I called out his names again as I reached for his shoulder. When my hand touched him, he jerked away from me as he jumped slightly.

“Oh, Phineas, sorry about that.” He didn’t make eye contact with me, instead he continued to look down at his neatly packed suitcase.  
“It’s fine.” I looked at his folded clothes curiously before looking back at him. “What are you doing?”

He sighed, “My older brother got injured during battle and had to come back home.”  
“Oh... will he be okay?”  
Gene finally looked me in the eye as he said, “Yes. He got shot in the hip and the leg, he’s lucky it didn’t get infected.” He closed his suitcase and picked it up. “There’s a train leaving the Devon in a little more than half an hour, so I’m going to get going.”

I nodded but as I watched him walk towards the door and I realized I didn’t want him to go. At least, not without me. So I said one of the spontaneous things in my life. “Can I go with you?”

Gene stopped dead in his tracks. “What?” I hesitated before repeating my question, “Can I go with you?”

Gene paused before shaking his head. “Finny, you have classes tomorrow. The Headmaster already knows why I’m leaving and so do my teachers. So if you wanna go, you’re gonna have to convince him before the train gets here.

I smiled widely. “So... you don’t mind?” Gene hesitated for a second before nodding.  
“Alright than!” I was so excited, I already knew I’d be able to persuade the Headmaster to my side. I hummed happily and shoved some clothes into a suitcase.

“What are you doing?” Gene asked, “You still have to talk to the Headmaster!”  
“Can’t I do that when I get back?”  
“No!” Gene blurted out.  
“Gene, c’mon! Think about it! By the time I find him and talk to him. The train would have already left.” I explained to him with a whine in my voice.

Gene started to answer but cut himself. He paused for a couple of seconds before saying, “Fine. Let’s just go.”

I smiled and skipped happily to him. “You know I’ll be able to talk my way out of a punishment.”

Gene looked at me, his cheeks slightly pink and he mumbled, “Yes, I know. You’re very eloquent.”


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gene and Finny arrrive in Davis, Oklahoma! And Gene runs into a friend of his...

Chapter Five  
•Gene•

I’ll admit, the train ride with Finny wasn’t so bad.

When we sat down I let Finny take the window seat. To be honest,’I preferred the isle seat. The fact that I didn’t have to squeeze past people and shove my butt in their face just to go the restroom was ideal for me. Besides, after while the window seat gets boring, considering your just seeing trees after you get out of the city.

Finny on the hand seem to be amazed with the scenery of the outside world. He kept looking outside and didn’t look away. The only time he glanced anywhere else was when I ended up resting my head on his shoulder. He tensed and looked shifted his head to look down at me, apparently deciding that I was worth the glance. Normally I would never get this close to anyone, but I was too tired to move away.

Even though I hate to say it, my sleeping habits are very unhealthy. The French final is tomorrow, but I’ve been excused until I get back. Besides, Finny is strangely comfy and he doesn’t seem to mind. He just sighs and says softly “You need to sleep more” and turns back to the window.

After awhile of breathing in Finny’s scent and being comported by soft bouncing of the train, I fall asleep.

——

I wake up to Finny gently nudging me awake.

“C’mon buddy, we’re here.” I mumble “no” in protest, but he just laughs and says “Gene, it’s time to get up.”

Usually I’m pretty good with waking up, but Finny is so cuddly I have to pull myself away from him. He smiles at me and ask, “comfy?” And to both mine and his surprise, I say the truth, “very.”

He blushes lightly and I looks away in embarrassment. “F-Finny I-“

“Anyone getting off at Davis, got off now!”

I look at Finny and stand up. “-I think we should get going now.”  
Finny nods and stands up after me. We grab put suitcases off the shelves above us and walk down the isle. On my way out I nod and give a small thank you to the conductor he tips his hat in response.

“Y’know you slept for a pretty long time” he says casually. I can tell it’s a forced casual, though.

“Really?” I ask, “How long?”

“Through in entire night!” He frowns, “You haven’t been sleeping well, have you?”

I look up at the sky and for the first time, I realize it’s morning.

“Yeah” I say, “I guess not.”

——

Me and Finny pick up a cab to a small coffee shop near by. Well, more like I dragged him to a coffee shop I used to go to before school. Tracy’s Awesome Coffee Options or T.A.C.O. for short.

Originally it was just the name that attracted me, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the coffee. Despite the goofy name it was actually really high-quality, Tracy herself is a really sweet girl that works hard to keep her shop open around the clock.

When Finny and I walk in, I’m immediately hit with the pleasant smell fresh coffee. I take a second to look at the the nostalgic surroundings before walking further in.

Finny looks at me curiously before I motion to a round table with two seats. “We can sit over there... if you want.” Finny looks at me and smiles happily, “Sure!”

He grabs my hand and drags me to he table I suggested. He plops down in his seat and I move over to mine. Before I can even sit down though I hear a female voice scream my name before I‘m suddenly being hugged. I shake away from the embrace immediately, and I’m about to open my mouth to say something when I realize who hugged me.

“Jordan? What are you doing here?” Jordan smiles at me brightly before saying, “I should be asking you the same thing!”

“Yeah... I guess so.” I look around awkwardly, “Well... Derek was being stupid during battle and got himself hurt, so I’m here to visit him.”

She laughs, “I should have guessed! But I’m so happy to see you!” I didn’t think it’d be possible fear her to smile wider, but she manages. “Imagine for Angelica and Jackson and Emerson and even Diana are gonna react when they see you? Not to mention Dorothy! I mean- with you gone, she doesn’t have anyone to play dress up with!”

I hear Finny snicker behind me and my face goes beet red. “S-Shut up, Finny!” I say as I turn to him.

Jordan looks at him curiously before something seems to click on her mind and a mischievous smirk comes across her face.  
“You’re Finny?”  
Finny looks at He before saying “Yes?” and I suddenly understand what Jordan’s gonna do. I still kept in contact with my close friends, and would call Angelica to talk about my time here. She would go on to tell my other close friends and the next time we called, she would tell me their thoughts.

One of our main subjects was Finny. I talked about him all the time to Angelica, and she tells everyone else.

“So... you’re the Finny-“  
“Jordan no-“  
“that Gene won’t shut up about.”  
“Oh God.”

Finny looked at me curiously, “You talk about me?” He asked.

I about to answer before I rudely cut off, “You bet he does!” “No I don’t!” Jordan smiles, “That’s not what Angelica says.”

I divert the subject as quickly as possible, “Anyway, you never answer my question from earlier, what are you doing here?”

“Oh... I...” Jordan paused, “I got a job here. I took your advice to put off the whole ‘modeling’ thing until after the US and Japan are on mutual terms again, or at least until either secede from the war.”

I was surprised to say the least. She was so offended when I told her that modeling wouldn’t be best for her right now.

“I mean...” she continued, “I still wanna do it right now but you’re right when you say some people might assume I’m Japanese when I’m Chinese.” I nodded at her in approval. “I’m really glad you don’t get mad for too long after what I said.”

“I’m glad to!” She smiled cheerfully.

——

After our bump in with Jordan I got some coffee and Finny and I left T.A.C.O.

I looked at Finny for a couple of seconds and I stopped walking as a thought came to my mind.

Finny looked back over at me. “You okay?”

“I...” I’d been lying to him. About my house of all things. “I don’t...” I don’t live in the grand southern plantation I always talk about. “I’m sorry” is all I can muster out.

Finny looks at me for a second or two. “You don’t have to be sorry.” I snap my head up at him. “I mean you shouldn’t lie to me about your home.” How does he...?

Finny laughed, “I mean, it’s pretty obvious you don’t live on a plantation. There’s no pictures of your house, and you avoid the subject when you can. You also never go into detail.” He smiles warmly at me and says softly, “I may get bad grades but I’m not stupid, Gene.”

What...  
“It’s fine though!”  
What did I...  
“Just don’t lie to me again, please?”  
What did I do to deserve him...?

I look down and I feel sick all of a sudden. I realize then that I don’t deserve him. Not as a friend. And definitely not as a lov- no. Stop it Gene. He’s not interested in you. Why should he be?

I take a deep breath, trying to get rid of my thoughts, before continuing to walk with him. But this time, I’m a little ways away.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finny gets to Gene’s house and meets his older brother!  
> ...It doesn’t go well...

Chapter Six  
•Finny•

Even after our confrontation about Gene’s house, he’s still nervous to let me see it. When I look behind me and see Gene with head held down, I almost feel bad enough to just head back to Devon.

Considering I have no idea where to go Gene decides to actually guide me and he ends up right next to me again. After a while of following him in silence, we reach a small neighborhood.

The houses aren’t “fancy” but their not bad either. Just average houses. I’ve lived all my life in a big house, and all my friends before Devon had big houses so I’ve never been in an average kind of home. To be honest, I’m kinda excited.

When we reach Gene’s home I stare at it for a second. It’s nice. A small one-story brown house, with a darker shade of brown for the roof. It had a small porch and a garden at the front. While walking by I could see that the plants were dying and I frowned. “Who takes care of the plants?” I asked. “Mom” Gene answer simply before turning to a potted plant. “She’s not doing a very good job than, is she?” I questioned with a laugh. Gene looked back over at me and I felt my heart sink. He looked... sad? Had I said something? Before I could question him about it, he was turning over to the plant and he started to dig around in it a bit.

“What the- what are you doing?” After a second Gene pulled out a key and patted down the dirt in the plant. He wiped the key off with his already dirty hands and unlocked the door. “My Dad’s really paranoid, and so is my older brother.”

I followed him inside and looked around. To my right there was an empty office, besides the papers that were scattered on the floor and the wooden desk and chair, the room was extremely bare. To my left was only that I could assume was a garage. When I walked further down the hallway, there was a small closet that’s door was slightly ajar. Inside there were a couple jackets and shoes. When I looked a bit harder I could make out a broom. Considering the fact that there was no light on and that Gene was walking rather fast, I couldn’t be sure though.

I took notice while walking that there was a hallway kinda embedded into the other. The smaller hallway had three door. One in the center, which I assumed was a bathroom, and two others at the end of the small hallway.

As I walked a bit more into the house there was a large open space that was the living space. Right when we entered I noticed how “open” the house was. The kitchen bled into the living room and he looked over at the dining table in the corner, which has a door to the backyard next to it.

In the living room I saw a man probably no more than the ten years older then me and Gene.

At first, I thought that was Gene’s dad and he just looked extremely young for his age (what ever that age may be). When I looked at Gene, though, I saw him smile happily. “Hey Derek!” He said with a wide grin.

The supposed “Derek” smiled at Gene and said, “Hey Baby Brother.” Okay, so, he was definitely Gene’s brother.

Gene frowned and crossed his arms, which I found kinda adorable to be honest. “Don’t call me that, Derek!” He said, but there was obviously no anger or even annoyance between them. I smiled at that. All my old friends from back home would say that they would always fight with their siblings. Which I would agree with, me and his sister clashed on some occasions (even though we got along most of the time). That didn’t Gene seem to be the case for Gene though. Him and his older brother seemed to get along great, if not perfectly. I smiled at that.

Derek laughed and was about to say something before he saw me. His entire demeanor shifted and he frowned deeply, before his face morphed into a scowl. “Who the Hell are you?”

“Derek!” Okay, now Gene seems a bit annoyed. “I’m Phineas, but everyone calls me Finny.” I say with the biggest smile I can manage.

Derek’s frown deepens. “Why are you here?” He asks, he seems annoyed that I’m here. “And get that stupid grin off your face.” Scratch that, he’s super annoyed that I’m here. Gene rolls his eyes, “He’s my roommate, and...” Gene seems hesitant, “...he’s also my best friend.” I can’t help be feel giddy about that. It’s pretty obvious that we’re best friends, but Gene’s never addressed as his best friend before.

Derek looks a bit mad... so much for the perfect brotherly love. “Gene this is a family thing.”  
“Well- he already came all the way up here! And since when was you getting shot a ‘family occasion’?”  
“Gene I don’t want him here.” By now, I’m sorta just stranding here. For the first time in my life I feel extremely awkward.  
“Derek...” Gene looks down, his voice sad, “please...?”  
Derek’s face softens and he looked down for a second. “F-Fine.” He mumbles out.

Gene looks up and smiles. He walks over to Derek and gives him a big hug. “Thank you!” Derek’s smiling like and idiot by the time we get to the guest room.

We walk into the smaller hallway, and Gene leads me to the one closest to the entrance of the house. The room was decent, and didn’t have anything special about it. The sheets were blue and so were the curtains and the lamp. “Woah! What’s that!” Gene jumped as I walked over to a small blue-stained glass bird. I love blue birds.

“It’s um...” Gene looks away, “it’s something Mom got Derek. This used to be his room.” Gene turned back to me, “Mom was sad about him moving out but she ended up turning his room into a guest room anyway.”

“What about your room?” I asked. “It’s...” Gene seemed a bit nervous, “It’s probably the same. “

“Why?”  
“Well...” Gene trailed off.  
“It doesn’t matter!” He exclaimed, it was pretty obvious he was forcing a smile.

I was concerned, to say the least. Gene and I are best friends, so we should be able to tell each other stuff. Without really thinking, I pushed further.

“Why?”  
“It doesn’t matter”, He repeated.  
“C’mon Gene, I’m you best buddy!”  
“That doesn’t mean I have to tell you everything!” He was getting mad.  
“Gene, look, I just wanna talk to you!”  
“No.”  
“Gene... don’t be like that!”  
“Finny...” Now he seemed sad and mad.  
“Gene you’ve been acting weird since we got here. What’s wrong-“  
“She’s dead!” I freeze.  
Crap. Shit. Damnit.  
Did I really just force Gene to talk about his dead mother?

He took a deep breath.  
“She’s dead”, He repeated. He let out a shaky breath.

“Gene... I’m so-“  
“I’m going to my room.”  
With that, Gene turned on his heels and left. His shoulders were slumped slightly as he made his way to his room.

I looked over to Derek when I left the guest room. He was still laying on the couch, but he looked at me with this expression. This ‘I know’ expression.

When we locked eyes, it seemed that he hated me even more.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gene gets edgy and Finny is concerned

Chapter Seven  
•Gene•

I can’t believe I’m doing this.

It’s been about an hour since my little outburst, and I have yet to talk to Phineas. I don’t think I want to talk to him. I don’t even know what I’m gonna say, yet here I am standing at his door.

I raise my fist to knock, but I freeze in place. I can’t do this. I’m not ready to tell him. What will he think? I don’t want to be pitied. Will he even pity me?

Like I said: I don’t want to talk to him, but I have to.

I try again. I raise my fist to knock. Granted, I didn’t knock very hard, but just the quite sound of my fist against the wood made me nervous. Maybe there was a chance he didn’t hear me? Yeah, he probably didn’t hear me.

I’m about to retreat back to my room when Finny’s door opens. I jump and lock eyes with him. His gaze is intense and kinda sad. Sad. Finny shouldn’t be anywhere near the word sad. He looks worried but he’s also beautiful. With his sharp jaw and chapped lips and his green eyes-god his eyes are beautiful.  
“Gene?” Finny ask. “Do you want to come in?” He bits his lip and motions for his room.

He’s so incredible I wanna cry. I wanna kiss him, but then why does the thought of it make me feel like I’m going to throw up? Finny’s eyes soften as he looks at me. “Gene? Are you okay?”  
Suddenly I feel guilty for even thinking about that. For even wanting that. I took a deep breath to clear my mind. I looked up at Finny and nodded. “I’m fine.”  
Finny smiled and stepped into his temporary room, motioning for me to follow.

He had already made himself at home. I smiled sadly at the wrinkled clothes that had been thrown into the dresser with little to no effort.  
“I’m so gonna have to iron your clothes in the morning.”

Finny raised a brow.  
“You iron your own clothes?”  
“I iron everyone’s clothes”, I say matter-of-factly.  
“The maids back at home usually iron all the clothes.”

I look over at him and we lock eyes for a second. I clear my throat as I look away. “Anyway... I wanted to tell you something-“ I pause “-that’s really important.”

Finny’s eyes immediately snap into a look that I rarely see from him. Finny’s uncommon “attention mode”. Finny doesn’t bother to actually listen to a lot of things, and even when he does he usually doesn’t fully engage. However, the look on his face right now is pure focus. He mutters a simple “okay” underneath his breath. His eyes prodding me to go further saying  
tell me  
tell me  
tell me

I take a deep breath. All the thoughts in my mind seem to now know where to start. I don’t want to tell him, but I know I have too. “First off...” I begin simply, “I don’t trust you.”

Finny seems taken a back by this (and a little hurt) but doesn’t say anything. He’s still silent. Just waiting for me to continue.

“Don’t take it too harshly. I don’t trust anyone.” I look around nervously and shot to the bed where I sit down. “You didn’t take it harshly did you? Why would you? Why should you care if I don’t trust you? You’re Finny, and I’m just...” I stop mid sentence “Gene.”

Finny was sitting next to the headboard, while I had scooted down to the very end. I wanted to be far away. Sitting in a bed with someone seemed too intimate for me. Especially someone as cute as Phineas.

Phineas makes the spontaneous decisions to speak, “But I think you’re incredible.” Well that made me blush. I feel my stomach flip. It also made me feel sick at the same time.

I brush it off and just laugh softly, but it comes out too breathy and broken too sound genuine. “Yeah, right.” I start with, “Like I said, I don’t trust you, I don’t trust that you think that way.”

“Do you trust anyone, Gene?” Finny says. I stay silent, and Finny asks again, “Do you really not trust anyone? Even your own brother?”

I look down at my hands, which are resting in my lap at this point. “No.”

“Have you ever genuinely accepted a compliment?”  
“Not for a long time.” Five years to be exact.  
“Why not?”  
“I...” I don’t what to say. I don’t want to say it. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” My answer is firm and leaves no room for argument. Finny asks me a question anyway.

“Did someone hurt you?” His voice is quiet and rushed. Heartbroken even. God Damnit.

“I...” I sighed, “No. Well- Yes. But that’s not why I don’t take compliments.”

“Then why?”  
“Because people lie. I look at myself and I know with all my heart that I’m not what people want me to be. I’m not what my mom wanted or my dad or my teachers or anyone!”  
“Gene...” his voice is soft yet firm, “I wouldn’t lie to you.”  
“How do I that? Don’t you remember? I don’t trust you.” My voice cracks at he wrong time and I sound pitiful and I hate it.

Finny looks downs and seems to be debating his next words. “Because I-“ he stops himself and lets out a shaky breath “never mind.”

I’m slightly disappointed and curious but don’t say anything. We sit in tense silent before I blurt out with “Finny, do you hate Homosexuals?”  
Finny’s head snaps up and wonder paints is face.  
“No. Not at all.” He answers simply. “You can’t trust me on that”, he laughs softly.

When I don’t laugh he shuts his mouth and sighs. “Why do you ask?”

“I...” c’mon Gene, “I’m kinda maybe...” you can do it, “I’m... I like...” finally the pressure is too much and I burst out with, “I LIKE DUDES!”

Finny stares at me and lets out a soft and happy laugh.  
“You’re cute Forrester.”  
He lays back on the bed, his calves still hanging off the side.  
He takes a deep breath and decides to sleep like that. I’m looking at the wall and right as he dozed off he says it again in a quieter voice.  
“Really fucking cute.”


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Finny have a little chat... oh! And Gene likes men.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhhhh! It’s been so long! I’m sorry, the holidays swamped me! :’(  
> All of this is copy pasted from my tumblr:  
> https://deadjihuam.tumblr.com

Chapter Eight  
•Finny•

I wake up with this odd new energy boiling up from the pit of my stomach. I can’t stop smiling and I don’t know why. When I sit up I remember the little conversation Gene and I had; I smile wider.

First off, Gene doesn’t trust me. Which, okay, isn’t much of a surprise. But he likes men!

Second off, Gene doesn’t trust anyone. I feel kinda bad about that, he won’t even tell me why! Which only get me more concerned. At least I don’t have to be concerned about his attraction to men.

Third off, Gene likes men! Can you believe it?! Like holy-

“Finny?”

My thoughts are interrupted by Gene himself; who is peering at me through the door. I suddenly realize that I’m covered with a blanket and Gene somehow got me to lay vertically on the bed.

“Yeah?”  
“I made breakfast.”  
“I’ll be right there!”

Gene smiled nervously and walked out of the room; closing the door behind him. I hopped up out of the bed and got dressed. After throwing in some clothes I walked out of the room to the kitchen. The smell of fresh breakfast tacos filled the air and drifted over to Gene, who was making a plate. I rested my chin on his shoulder, and to my utter surprise, he didn’t jump. He didn’t even flinch actually.

“I’m making your plate right now, Finny. Sit at the table, please, this will only take a minute.”  
“A whole minute?” I whined while wrapping my arms around his waist. He flinched but didn’t protest or move away. He just smiled and said, “You know what I mean.”

“Gene, can you stop flirting and get me some food?”

Gene’s face went red and I started laughing and walked over to the dining table. “Shut up, Derek.”

I started to wonder for a second on what I should do next. I never told Gene how I felt before because I thought there was no way he would even like me that way. Now that I know that he’s attracted to guys, it’s not completely out of the park! I was smiling way too much.

Form my view, Derek was at a 3/4 profile view with his right arm lazily thrown over the couch. He was talking to Gene about god knows what (something about snapping turtles?) when he saw my stupid grin and stared at me curiously. I quickly looked away and went back to watching Gene, who had turned back to making breakfast.

Out of the carnet of my eye, Derek’s brows furrowed before he looked at Gene and he smiled. A wide, kinda evil looking, smile. Crap.

——

After breakfast, Derek pulls me into the bare, yet messy office. He turns on the lights and closes the office doors. I’m not gonna lie, Derek is a scary guy. He probably 6’3 or 6’2, and the while “war” thing has made him have an incredible intimidation factor, despite his cane.

He quickly snapped around to look at me, his eyes locked onto mine. I immediately straighten up my back, trying to look more proper then I actually am. I think I pull it off well enough because Derek doesn’t comment on it or look at me weird.

“Alright” He starts, “what are your intentions with my brother?”  
I end up inhaling too fast and start coughing uncontrollably. Real smooth Finny.  
“Are you okay?” Derek ask me with a raised brow a soon as I finish my coughing fit.  
“I-I’m fine. You just surprised me.”  
Derek paused and laughed softly. “Sorry, I know I can come off kinda intimidating.”  
I looks down, “You didn’t exactly give me the most ‘friendly’ introduction yesterday.”  
Derek looks away, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah... sorry about that. You can only imagine what kind of mood I was in after getting shot twice and having to back home.”  
I visibly cringed. That really must have sucked. “It’s alright.”

All in all, Derek wasn’t being a bad guy yesterday. He was just a protective older brother looking out for Gene.

“I’m sorry if this conversation is a bit awkward.” Derek brought up after a while of talking. “I just really want Gene to not latch onto the wrong kind of people.”  
I laugh softly, “So, do you always interview Gene’s friends like this?”  
Derek smiles, “Not exactly. I mean, yeah, I talk to them. I’m just usually not this intense.”

I look at him for a while. ‘Usually not this intense’? What does that mean? Does he just not like me?

Seemingly reading my mind, Derek adds on, “Listen...” he pauses, clearly hesitating, “Gene likes you. A lot.”  
I blinks few times, I must look confused because emphasizes.  
“Gene looks at you with this stupid love-struck look on his face, and it’s completely adorable.” Derek looks me dead in the eye as he continues. “He’s never liked anyone before. Not like this. I don’t what you did, but he apparently thinks your boyfriend material.” I feel my face go read at that. “Gene doesn’t make spontaneous decisions. If you likes you like this, he likes you in the long-run. Just...” Derek sighs, “Give him time. Don’t be anything dumb, alright?”

I nod quickly. “Of course! I only want him to be happy.”  
“As do I, but look out for yourself too, alright?”  
I tilt my head to the side, “What do you mean?”  
“Well if you do anything stupid I’m gonna have to kill you.”  
My face must of looked hilarious because Derek burst out laughing.

I’m about to say something when Gene knocks on the door. I end up smiling because it’s cute how softly Gene knocks.  
“Come in!” Derek shouts.

Gene pokes his head in and smiles. “I was wonder where you two went! I just finished up cleaning the place.”  
“You clean?” I questioned.  
Gene nods. “Yeah, I do.”  
“Huh” I look at Gene and continue, “at my house we have maids that clean for us.”  
Gene crossed his arms and smiled playfully. “Well I think it’s about time you learn how to take care of yourself.” Gene walks towards me, “C’mon!”

I whine in protest but follow him anyway. I can’t really help it, it’s not every day Gene smiles like this.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finny and Gene go on their first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp! This is it! The grand finale! I hope you guys have enjoyed this Fanfiction and make sure to check out my tumblr for more A Separate Peace stuff! On my tumblr I’ll be posting are for one scene from each chapter (I’ve already done Chapter One). Make sure to check it out!  
> https://deadjihuam.tumblr.com

Chapter Nine  


•Gene•

Finny was surprisingly bad at everything that involved cleaning. When we were cleaning the leftover dishes from breakfast (which I wasn’t planning on doing anything with until the next morning) he managed to make a complete mess of the counter. Water had gotten everywhere and he couldn’t even wipe it up without pushing it off the edge and onto the floor. I sighed at his hopelessness and ended up crouching down to clean it up off the floor myself. While Finny did have maids in his house to do the chores, he had told me he would get sick a lot when he was little and had to stay inside a lot. He went on to tell me that he helped with the chores the maids were assigned. Granted he was little, so he couldn’t do much, but he still shouldn’t be this clumsy.When we were finished Finny and I went to my room. The moment we stepped in, Finny commented on how ridiculously clean it was.“Seriously Gene! I mean, look at this!” He gestures to my dresser, where everything is organized to perfection by function, height, and color. “What can I say? I like my stuff organized!” Is what I retaliate with.Finny raises a brow and looks over to my bed. He suddenly looks nervous. After a few beats of silence I speak out to him. “Finny?” He jumps and looks over to me like a deer in headlights. I swear he’s so jumpy today. “Sorry... um...” I hesitate, “You can lay down if you want.”Finny looks surprised but cautiously sits down with his back against the headboard. Against all my expectations for myself, I awkwardly slide in the bed and sit next to him. Once I’m there, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding. Finny looks at me nervously. “So... I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.”“Yes?”Finny looks away. “Remember yesterday? When you said that someone hurt you?”I gulp. “Yes.”  
“How did that happen?”“It wasn’t anything physical. I just knew a guy that I thought was my friend but went behind my back to do all sorts of crappy things.”  
Finny’s nose scrunched up. “Ugh! I hate toxic friends.”  
“You can definitely say that again.” I pause as a thought comes to mind, “Have you had a toxic friend before?” Finny nods sadly.“Yeah. Turns out he just wanted to be friends with me because my family’s rich and all that crap.”Finny looked so sad that I immediately wanted to hug him. I ended up just questioning myself though. Why am I suddenly getting protective? It’s not my problem.“By the way...” Finny started, his eyes finding the bed sheets much more interesting then me, “where’s your dad?”“Probably out of state. He’s a businessman and is always working hard for money to support me before I enlist and all that.”Finny smiled. “He sounds nice.”I nodded. “He may be a bit distant but I consider him a good Dad. Besides, Derek smothers me enough.” I roll my eyes while Finny laughs.“Anyway,” Finny continues, “I’ve... been wanted to ask you this for a while.” I raise a brow. Finny looks stiff and kinda nervous. “I was wondering... if you and I could...” He trails off. “Yes? What is it, Finny?”“Could we maybe go on a date?”  
I freeze up.“What- that’s was bad!” Finny starts again. “I mean, I really like you and think you’re awesome and cute and I want to... y’know...” Finny looks to me as then at the wall. “Go out.”I laugh softly at just how panicked Finny is right now. Finny opens his mouth to talk again but I shush him by talking. “There’s a carnival in town.” I don’t know what I’m doing but I feel giddy and continue anyway. “We could go together.”He looks surprised but wordlessly nods. “We have to get back to Devon by tomorrow, so we better go today.”Finny looks at me, clearly happy out of his mind. “Great! I’ll get my shoes!”  
I actually meant later today, but I didn’t have the heart to say anything.

____

I was shocked when Derek didn’t start monologuing to Finny on “stranger danger” and “making sure Gene doesn't die”. My shock quickly turned into confusion and embarrassment when Derek said right before we walked out of the door, “Don’t get too caught up in the moment, I’ve only given you my blessing as Gene’s boyfriend. Not his husband.  
Clearly flustered, Finny sped up his walking and went up to Derek’s car, which he had given us permission to use. I looked at him quizzically once he pulled out of the driveway. “Did you ask Derek if you could ask me out?”  
“No. More like he confronted me. Apparently it’s... really obvious I like you.”  
I frown. “I’ve never noticed before.”  
“Yeah, well you’ve always been kinda oblivious.”  
“Hey!” I tear my gaze from the window and turn to look at him, feeling offended. He just laughs and of course I’m awe-struck. Finny always looks so great no matter what he’s doing. Right now he looks cool with one hand on the wheel with this whole relaxed demeanor to him. I feel my chest tighten when I look at him and I’m too engrossed in memoizing every detail of how his shirt fits over his torso that I don’t realize he’s talking.  
“Um… Gene?”  
“Huh? What?”  
Finny laughs, “Were you even listening? I said that we’re here!”  
I suddenly realized that the car has stopped and were parked in front of the carnival.  
“Oh! Right. Sorry.”  
Finny smiles widely at me, “Well if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you seemed to be rather interested in my shirt.” He wiggles his eyebrows and I blush profusely.  
“Let’s just go!”  
Finny laughs as I hurriedly make my way out of the car.

____

Turns out being at a carnival with your crush (boyfriend?) makes the time fly.

Finny and I had arrived at around 10:30 AM, and with a glance over at my watch I could see it was 8:39 PM. I wondered how we managed to spend this much time together without getting bored. Finny didn’t seem to mind though. He was still running around the place trying and re-trying games. I was stunned when he managed to hit the bell on the “Test Your Strength”. A couple people around him clapped and he smiled widely at them before his eyes landed on me. His smile softened and I felt my face heat up and I looked away shyly.  
He started walking up to me but was stopped by a girl around our age complimenting him on how “amazing” and “cool” he was when he “won the strength thing”. Finny clearly wasn’t interested and just being polite, but out of a fit of pure jealousy I ended up walking right up to them and intertwining my fingers with Finny’s. The girl stops mid sentence and her eyes lock onto our hands before traveling up to me.  
“What are you doing?” She ask, her voice practically dripping with venom.  
“I-I’m holding his hand!” I pause, “My boyfriends hand. I’m holding it.”  
She looks surprised before her face morphs into a mixture between disgust and mild amazement.  
“Seriously?” She turns to Finny, “You’re dating him?”  
My breath hitches at the way she says “him”. I can feel Finny squeezing my hand tighter and his entire demeanor has changed. He’s standing straight and tall and the look in his eyes have hardened. He looks… intimidating?  
“Yes.” Is all that Finny says in reply before I’m suddenly being pulled away by him. Finny’s walking fast, practically dragging me behind him.  
“Finny! Slow down!”

He doesn’t listen. He’s still taking off hell-bent in the direction of the ferris-wheel. Upon hearing my voice, his grip on my wrist only tightens.  
“Phineas! Calm down, your hurting my wri-” The moment the word “hurting” leaves my mouth he stops dead in his tracks and I end up bumping into him while I’m talking. Finny turns to look at me and he’s frowning when I look at him.  
“I…” he sighs, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so upset.” He pauses and takes a breath, “You know I’m not an angry person, it’s just… I don’t think homophobes are bad people. Ijust don’t like it when they… act like they know everything? Act like… they know us.” He had been looking down, and he angled his head up to meet my eyes. He looked so lost and confused; he was clearly desperate to get my approval on what he just said.  
“I know what you mean.” He lets out a hefty sigh and his smile soon returns, I can tell it’s forced.  
“Hey! I have an idea! How about we go on the ferris-wheel?”  
Finny’s wide and genuine smile comes to life as he nods profusely. “Yeah! Let’s do it!”  
I laugh at his enthusiasm. “How about we go home after?”  
“Sure!”

With that, the two of us made our way to the ferris-wheel, and in a brief moment of bravery, I intertwined Finny and I’s hands again, smiling happily.  
Due to the late hour most people had left, so when we arrived to the ferris-wheel the line was pretty short. Finny gave four tickets to the operator of the ride (two for me and two for him) and we got in the cart. Once the ride started Finny was practically gawking over how pretty the view was. “Look at all the lights, Gene! Their so pretty! Are you looki-” He stops talking and suddenly goes quiet. I look over at him and realize he’s staring at me.  
“Finnt? Are you okay?”  
He looks like he just got out of a trance upon hearing my voice.  
“Sorry” he says, “I just got caught up in looking at something far more beautiful than lights.”

I unsuccessfully try to stutter out a response and I end up ducking my head away in embarrassment. Finny laughs and, despite being told not to gets up and walks to the other side of the cart where I’m sitting.  
“Hey, c’mon Gene! Don’t try and hide it from me.” I look up at him and jump at how close he is to me. Finny cringes, “Sorry… am I too close?”  
I look at him a shake my head, “No… you’re fine.”

After a beat of comfortable silence, Finny speaks again.  
“I really meant that. You are beautiful.”  
“As are you.” Is what I reply with after a second.  
“And I…” I look at Finny, only to find his looking right back. “I really want to kiss you.” He says the sentence slowly, clearly hesitant.  
I look in his eyes for a couple seconds and I’m suddenly leaning forward.  
Finny looks surprised at first but leans into me soon enough. Our lips brush for a second and soon were kissing. I feel my stomach twist and me head hurts but the fear subsides when Finny gently places his hands on my hips. Without me realizing it, my own hands place themselves on Finny’s jaw.

When we pull away our eyes lock and I realize we’re gonna have to get off the ferris-wheel soon. It doesn’t matter though.

Finny’s always been one to talk after something big or important. This time he doesn’t talk. I don’t talk.  
We don’t need to.


End file.
